E3 2020 Cancellation Seems Certain; ESA Official Statement Yet To Appear

E3 2020 is in a bit of a spot right now. Sony announced earlier in the year that it wouldn’t be attending the event for the second year in a row. Even Geoff Keighley, a key figure for the event, has announced that he won’t be part of the event. And now, it looks like the event itself will not be taking place at all.

Ars Technica first reported about the potential cancellation of the event, citing sources familiar with the situation. Then came a tweet devoid of context by developer Devolver Digital. And finally, Bloomberg reports that the event organisers, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), sent a private memo to partners that it’s “exploring options for an online E3 event this summer”.

Cancel your E3 flights and hotels, y’all.

— Devolver Digital (@devolverdigital) March 11, 2020

The memo seems to point towards COVID-19 being the reason for the cancellation of E3 2020. While it’s certainly as good a reason as any, it’s possible that it’s not the only reason, what with all the high profile departures from the event.

If COVID-19 is indeed the reason, then E3 2020’s cancellation is not entirely unexpected. MWC and GDC of this year have both gone through the same thing. For the former, many brands that were supposed to be exhibitors in the event have also pivoted to livestreaming their planned presentations. On the other hand, the latter is looking to get the event postponed.

The ESA was supposed to issue an official statement yesterday, but it got postponed for some reason. It will have to sooner or later, and that would serve as confirmation of the cancellation of E3 2020.

(Source: Ars Technica, Bloomberg, Devolver Digital / Twitter)

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